High-heel aficionados aged 20 to 24 years were the most frequently injured.

Six children aged up to nine were injured wearing high heels, which Dr Williams said may have occurred during a dance class or performance.

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The spring racing carnival and summer holidays were the peak time for high-heel injuries, with hospital visits more frequent in November, December and January compared with other months.

Dr Williams said a third of those injured attended hospital on a Sunday, possibly after waking up in pain and realising the extent of an injury from the night before.

Researchers said the study, which covered the period between 2006 and 2010, was likely to underestimate the number of high-heel injuries seen in public hospitals, because some cases would simply have been recorded as falls and not linked to high heels.

They estimated the cost of treating the injuries was about $72,000, a figure that accounts only for emergency visits to hospitals and not treatment by specialists including podiatrists, physiotherapists and GPs.

Dr Williams said she hoped the study, to be published in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, would highlight the need for people to be sensible about wearing high heels.

She said a concerning trend was the ''extreme heel'' of more than 20 centimetres, which was popular among women in their early 20s.

''Anything over seven centimetres places you at great risk of ankle injury, just due to how the foot is positioned, and no amount of muscle strength is going to change that,'' she said.

Dr Williams said grassy areas and cobblestone laneways could prove hazardous for high-heel wearers, who could also come a cropper in areas with reduced lighting or after a drink on a Saturday night.

The Australasian Podiatry Council recommends lower and solid heels over stilettos and urges high-heel wearing in moderation.